


Posession of the Mind, Body and Heart

by Tangerines



Series: good byes and hello [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Prostitution, Sexual Content, Unrequited Love, for like one part
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-15
Updated: 2017-05-18
Packaged: 2018-10-26 19:47:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10793529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tangerines/pseuds/Tangerines
Summary: She sold sex on the side, giving her body to strangers like him. Yet she won't lay her heart bare for anyone, and that's what he really wants.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors. Enjoy.

* * *

 

 

      The sound of gentle sighs, desperate moans and the smell of sex filled the room. His chest rose, taking in deep breaths as he finished inside her. Overwhelmed with ecstasy, she shuddered. Hands gripping the blanket, wrinkling the satin sheets in the process. Sweat clings to her forehead, collarbones and rolls down between the valley of her breasts. Her smooth cunt, covered and filled with evidence of their lovemaking. 

Kakashi is an honourable general, a soldier of war. The pride of his country, loving husband and a wonderful father. Except, the blood on his hands did not make him an honourable being, his alcoholic and abusive wife did not making him a loving husband and a child lost in a miscarriage did not make him a father. Kakashi is just a soldier.

She is a shamed whore, a prostitute who sold herself for a living. She is not ruined, despite the many finger prints that have left their mark on her skin. Her smiles radiates like the morning sun even after being forced to do dirty work. She is a mystery in her own ways.

She comforts him, gives him the love that he never receives while she gets to hear the stories that he tells from the war and earns the money that she needs. It is their exchange, their promise, their secret. It is not enough.

The sex is great. They are free to give and take from each other, she willingly gives everything but one thing she keeps, the one thing she does not give and that's what he wants the most.

"Why won't you give me your heart?" He asks her one day.

"Because it is mine," she replies.

Kakashi lifts her chin and meets her eye. It is greener than the evergreen trees that stood in the forest; greener than the grass before it is stained with the blood of his soldiers. "Only yours?"

She does not answer.

 

* * *

 

 

      He pulls out a velvet box and slips it into her hands. Sakura lifts the cover and examines the tear-drop shaped pendant. She picks up the necklace, watching as the green gem sat on the dainty, delicate gold chains swinging side to side. Her eyes widen as she dangled it in front of her face, "It's beautiful!"

"It's yours," he says.

Sakura freezes, she raises an eyebrow at him and looks at the pendant again, "How much was this?" She was probably going to feel incredibly guilty if it costed him a lot. Wearing an item that had more value than her shack of a house was just too much. The grin on his face told her otherwise. 

"Do you not like it?" He asks.

Kakashi gives her a puzzled look when she furrows her brows, "What about your wife?" she whispers quietly. He smiles sadly to himself, "She doesn't want anything from me." 

Taking the necklace from her hands, Kakashi closes the clasp around her neck. "Would you rather I buy you something else?" 

Sakura touches the pendant again, "I don't want you to shower me with extravagant gifts, next time you come back just bring me flowers. I need a little something to decorate my room." 

He presses a kiss to her temple, "Anything for you."

 

* * *

 

 

       He watches her naked form beneath the thin sheets of the blankets. Kakashi finds his eyes tracing the roundness of her hip and the deep curve that goes down her back and disappears under the covers. 

Fingers reach towards the soft, pink locks, running them gently through the tangles. "What are you reading?" He asks while braiding her hair.

Sakura flips the page and looks him in the eye, she has already memorized the whole thing. 

_"His arms are rods of gold, set with jewels. His body is polished ivory, bedecked with sapphires. His legs are alabaster columns set on bases of gold. His appearance is like Lebanon, choice as the cedars. His mouth is most sweet, and he is altogether desirable. This is my beloved and this is my friend. O daughters of Jerusalem."_ She recited without hesitation.

Kakashi chuckles, the deep rumble at the base of his throat reverberating around the room, "You don't need to quote me the Bible." 

He twists her hair and intertwines the braids together, _"Your rounded thighs are like jewels, the work of a master hand. Your navel is a rounded bowel that never lacks mixed wine. Your belly is a heap of wheat encircled with lilies. Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle."_

Flipping over she straddles him with her thighs caging each side of his hips, she wraps her arms around his arms and bends down for a kiss. Sakura lingers a little longer than usual and Kakashi doesn't mind at all, _"It goes down smoothly for my beloved, gliding over lips and teeth. I am my beloved's, and his desire is for me."_

Kakashi's hands tightens over her hips, he presses a kiss to her nose.

"I didn't think poetry could turn me on this much," he groans.

 

* * *

 

  
       "Have you ever loved someone so much that you felt like the sun shined wherever they walked?"

Sakura looks up at him, her head resting on his chest.

"Once."

"Once?" Kakashi raises a silver brow.

Sakura nods, she props up her elbows and leans a cheek on the palm of her hand. "It didn't last long." 

"Where did you meet him?" he asks.

Sakura's eyes twinkles with amusement, "That's another story to tell."

 

* * *

 

       Sakura sits on the bed, ankles crossed and her fingers intertwined together as she waited for her next client. The door opens and Sakura hops off her bed when she catches sight of the spiky white hair that peeks from behind the wooden frames.

"You came back!" she says, expecting to see his usual lazy smiles. Instead Sakura sees the expression that recognizes that there is nothing left to live for, the kind that is tired of fighting, tired of losing loved ones. Kakashi is simply tired of it all.

He sees her and his heart feels a little lighter, a little faster. Without another word, he pulls her to him. Wrapping both arms around her waist and leaning his face into the crook of her neck. He inhales the familiar smell of faint lilac, with reminisce of her sweat mixed together. Coming back to this place brings him the comfort of peace that he was unable to experience in two weeks.

Sakura gently runs her hands up and down his back while whispering soft words into the shell of his ear. "It's okay."

She holds him tighter when she feels the sleeve to her left shoulder go damp. His body shook as he clung to her. His cries grew louder as he muttered incoherent words and sentences.

When he pulls back, Sakura cups her small hands over his cheeks, she wipes his tears away with the pads of her thumbs and leads him to the bed.

She pulls his shirt off and swallows a gasp when she sees the blemishes and patches of black and blue and faded violet on the surface of his skin. She is used to it, the jagged wounds where knives drove into flesh leaving a trail of thick fluids that paint his back scarlet. Her fingers trace the white faded scars that healed those wounds, these would never go away.

Sakura begins to replace his old bandage wraps soaked with blood, while rubbing ointment that dulls the ache in his bruises.

She tugs the blanket over their bodies and holds him tighter. His face is buried to her chest, head tucked under her chin and she whispers to him once more.

"It's not your fault." she says.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The poem exchanged by Sakura and Kakashi are indeed from the Bible. It is from the Song of Solomon and it's absolutely beautiful. It talks about a woman and a King who wishes to have her but she has another lover; it talks about the daughters of Jerusalem; the beauty of women in general (in terms of physical aspects such as hair, dark skin and among other characteristics). 
> 
> There's even smut but like, written metaphorically. Even blow jobs are written like that. 
> 
> "I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste." Lots of sexual references basically.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have the worst dark circles right now and I blame KakaSaku.

 

      When he walks into the room the smell of putrid vomit is evident. He rushes to the bed where Sakura lies in a puddle of liquid, her hair covering her face, clothes forcible torn off and her body covered in angry red marks and violet blemishes. The bed is drenched in sweat, vomit, blood and cum. She is not moving.

Kakashi carries her to the bathroom, her limbs have no strength and her arm hangs lifelessly across his shoulder. He places her gently inside the bathtub and turns the knob, filling it with warm water.

Squeezing a generous amount of soap into the palm of his hands, Kakashi begins to lather her frail body until thick, foamy soap suds appear. Rough calloused fingers, gliding against soft flesh. The sound of running water and silence fills the room. She doesn't say anything and he doesn't need to ask.

Sakura stares at the water and her mouth remains shut, her throat hoarse and dry from hours of screaming. Her body relaxes when the stench of their _filth_ disappears, replaced by the scent of lilac and honey. 

"I'll be right back," Kakashi reassures her when he leaves the bathroom.

Pulling her legs to her chest, Sakura stares at the opened door through the curtains of soaked pink hair, she's afraid he'll leave her like the others. Yet at the same time she thinks he's different, _knows_ he's different. He comes back later with a pile of towels in his arms.

"I'll need you to do me a favour, love. Just stand up for a bit, I know it'll hurt but I'll support you." he says.

She nods slowly. Sakura rises from her sitting position and chokes on a sob, her legs shake and her body shivering with goosebumps.

Kakashi wraps her in the cotton towels and carries her back to her bed. She lets out a sigh of relief when she notices the sheets are cleaned.

"I'll burn the mattress and get you a new one." he says.

"There's no need, they'll just come back anyway." she mutters, her face buried against his shirt.

Sakura looks up at him when he doesn't say anything and when she does, his gaze pierces through her. "I'll make sure they won't come back."

"You don't need to do anything," she says.

There's no point in arguing because they both know that no matter what she says he won't listen.

"I'll be here."

"I know," Sakura says. This time she's the one who has her face pressed to his chest and her head tucked under his chin.

 

* * *

 

 "I met him in front of a flower shop," she begins.

Emerald eyes flicker to the bouquet in the corner of the room by the window, stuck in a daze and lost in memory.

"At the time I was working there with a close friend of mine. I saw him standing in front of the freshly delivered roses, he was looking for flowers to give to his mother. I recommended daffodils and he had such a sad smile, he paid for them and left. He came back a week later requesting for more daffodils."

Sakura rarely spoke about herself, when she did Kakashi would listen. She would never reveal anything about her own life no matter how many times he'd ask, instead she would tell him bits and pieces of it out of the blue.

"What kind of person is he?" Kakashi inquires.

A smile tugs at the corner of her lips, "He always held himself at arms length. Like he was afraid he'd hurt someone. He was quiet, reserved and he always answered questions with another question. He had his own demons to take care of and I could only watch from afar."

She turns to him once more and squeezes his hand, "You would have liked him."

"Tell me more," Kakashi says.

"I'm tired, aren't you?" she feigns a yawn and pulls the covers over her head.

 

* * *

 

 Her fingers were digging into his shoulders, leaving crescent moons and dull scratches.

 _The only types of marks you should have,_ she thinks to herself as she smiles at the marks she left on his neck from her lips.

Kakashi grips her waist tighter, his hands sliding down to her hips and he forcibly shoves his cock in deeper. He watches her from below, his thick shaft sliding inside and out her dripping cunt with ease. He bites his lower lips, illuminating teeth grinding against pink flesh. "Fuck," he mutters when he feels her vaginal walls tighten, clenching around his glorious length. 

Sakura arches her back, mouth parted and rolls her hips for more friction. Her breathy moans are swallowed in between kisses and she cries even louder when he flips her over and under him. She begs him for more, when he teases her with slow, shallow strokes until her toes curl with anticipation and her fingers lost in pale white tresses.

 

* * *

 

"My eyes aren't down there."

"What do you mean?" he asks as if he were imitating a child who lied about stealing the last cookie.

She lets out a groan, "You're such a cunt, you know what I mean."

"You know what they say, you are what you eat." She chokes. 

Sakura grabs the pillow beside her and smacks him with enough force to knock him off the bed.

 

* * *

 

 Kakashi leans his head from behind the wooden frames, he wanted to surprise her by popping in through the window rather than the door. Instead he's waiting and eavesdropping on a conversation he knows has nothing to do with him.

He sees Sakura speaking to another man in low hushes, each word exchanged elicit a serious expression from her. Kakashi squinted, the man looked familiar. Long black hair and faint chalky eyes. _What is that Hyuga kid doing here?_

"His condition is getting worst, he's been having chest pains and he hasn't eaten in two days."

Sakura crossed her arms, eyes narrowed in concentration and lips pursed. "When he coughs does he produce mucus and or blood?"

"Yes."

"Fatigue?"

"Yes."

The Hyuga hesitates, "It's pneumonia isn't it?"

Sakura nods, "Probably developed a little bit after the war. Probably a bacterial infection, specifically streptococcus pneumoniae."

She crosses the room and pulls out a piece of paper from the drawer, scribbling a message and her signature. "Here Neji, take this to the apothecary and tell them it's from me. I will personally check up on your father myself."

Tucking it safely in his pocket, Neji bows and leaves the room.

"Yo."

Startled by his abrupt entrance, Sakura grabs the nearest object to her left and hurls it in his direction.

"That's not a very nice way to welcome a guest." he says, catching the hairbrush.

She rolls her eyes and presses a kiss to his chin. "Why didn't you use the door?"

Kakashi ruffles her hair and shrugs, "Changing it up a bit. Now why don't you tell me what happened between you two."

"Neji Hyuga was someone I met a long time ago." she says.

"Does he buy you?"

"Sometimes."

Kakashi pauses, "Are you a doctor?"

"Was. I got sent on duty by my supervisors. I met him while he was on the battle field."

"...Why are you here now?"

Sakura laughs, "You ask a lot of questions."

"You answer too little of them." he frowns.

"Perhaps."

 

* * *

 

 "Ow ow ow. Sorry Sak I don't think we can do anything physical today. I've got back pains." Kakashi grumbles when he catches her in his arms.

Sakura immediately lest go and drags him to the bed. "Shirt off, now."

"Sak...I can't right now my bac-" Before he could finish what he was about to say, Sakura proceeds to rip his shirt off and flips him over onto his stomach. She grabs an ointment bottle from the drawer and pours it out, scattering dewy drops of the liquid across his back. Straddling his hips with her thighs on either side, Sakura begins to rub his back, starting with the pads of her thumbs pushing in a circular motion over his shoulders. 

Her fingers skim the surface where his vertebrae is and Kakashi suppresses a shiver. She uses the strength of her arms to push and rub the tense muscles hiding beneath his scarred flesh. She focuses on the curve of spine, his shoulders and the taunt muscles begging for her attention and she gives him exactly what he wants, what he needs.

"You strain your back too often." she comments when she feels him relax under her.

Kakashi lets out a sigh, this was definitely not what he was expecting. It was a complete surprise, though not exactly a bad one since Kakashi hadn't experienced a back massage in a while.

"I'm getting old." he answers.

 

* * *

 

 

 On certain days when Kakashi asks her questions about her past, she always maneuvers the conversation in a different direction, effectively changing the topic. Sometimes she would answer in riddles, other times she didn't say anything at all. However today was a little different and Kakashi decided to be a little more gallant and straightforward.

"What happened to the boy with the daffodils?" he asks.

"I can't see him anymore." she answers honestly for once.

"Why not? What's stopping you?" Kakashi encircled his arms around her waist, his lips gliding up and down the nape of her neck, gentle butterfly kisses.

"He's a married man."

Now Kakashi was stuck, he doesn't understand why Sakura would care when she slept with people like _him._ Prostitutes don't usually concern themselves over  relationships, especially marriages. 

"I'm sure you've slept with many married men. Why is this one different?"

"Because he loves his wife too much." she says. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to publish all three chapters in one go but my dumbass self accidentally clicked 'post' so now I have to update them individually. :(


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After procrastinating for far too long, I have finally finished.

 

Kakash pulls the covers over his head to block the intense sunlight peeking through the curtains. He throws his arm to the side of the bed and frowns when his fingers grab onto empty space, where Sakura should have been. The spot he touches is still warm.It hasn't been that long since she left.

Instead he hears low hushed tones by the door. Kakashi knows that eavesdropping isn't the most polite thing to do, but he had exceptional hearing and he might as well take advantage of it. 

"...It's been three years hasn't it?" he hears her say.

Kakashi hears shuffling at the door, he hears the cracking of Sakura's voice. He does not move or make any indications that he is awake.

"I miss him sometimes. Then I remember that you're probably struggling with his absence more than I am," a second voice breaks the silence.

"Sakura-chan, I hope you know that you can quit this job anytime and live with us," the third voice is slightly louder.

A sad laugh echos through the room, "You know I can't." 

"Can't or won't?" challenges the lowest and the most serious voice of the two. Sakura doesn't answer.

"She's waiting at home for you. Everyday she tells herself that you'll come back," someone says. She crosses her arms and smiles, "Hanami is all grown up, huh?"

"She has your eyes. She looks like the both of you."

"Don't make me miss her and come back," Sakura jokes, her voice quivering.

Kakashi peers over the blanket through his half-lidded eyes and he sees the two figures closely. The blond one has an arm wrapped around her waist and the dark haired one, who looks vaguely familiar stands by the door. "That's the point, annoying," and despite the way his lip tightens, his eyes soften contrary to his words.  
 

* * *

 

      One day Kakashi appears at her doorway with a bouquet of daffodils on his hands and he doesn't understand why Sakura breaks down and cries.. He thinks that maybe she doesn't like the yellow flowers, yet the way she displays them ever so carefully by the window and gazes at them with an expression that he can't put to words, he begins to wonder if there's more to it than simple flowers.

"Thank you," she whispers.

 

* * *

 

    There are days where Sakura doesn't have the energy to leave her room.

So when Kakashi sees the overflowing water that spills over the white, rounded edges of the tub he doesn't hesitate. He doesn't hesitate to run to her. He doesn't hesitate to pull her out of her own blood that floods the tiles of her bathroom.

Red was always a nice colour on Sakura, from sundresses to bold lips. Yet the bright cardinal stain against her stark, pale skin was not the same as the rose petal designs stitched to the hem of her dresses or the red that tinted her lips.

He carries her to the bed and stays by her side until she recovers.

Sakura wakes up three days later and Kakashi still waits by her side even after that. 

 

* * *

 

    While Sakura takes a shower, Kakashi wanders around her room. He wonders how many people have been here, how many have looked at the pale walls or touched the cotton sheets of her bed.

He opens a drawer by the bed and inside is an old, worn out leather bound journal with letters stuffed inside it. He catches a glimpse of smeared handwriting in ink and the words he reads are familiar, yet foreign. He doesn't understand what the word _Uchiha_ has to do with Sakura. 

Kakashi doesn't connect the dots, he doesn't want to.

Instead he picks up a small box and hesitantly opens it. It's the same box he gave her and inside is the tear-drop pendant. He smiles to himself until he notices something out of place. Kakashi, always an observant individual realizes that beneath the cushion where the pendant sits, there is something else. Peeling away the soft material to see what is under it, Kakashi realizes what it means by 'curiosity kills the cat.'

Inside is a small silver band with a small, simple diamond cut.

"That belonged to his wife." Sakura says, exiting the bathroom.

She doesn't say anymore and he doesn't ask.

 

* * *

 

 The supermarket is always busy at this time but Kakashi doesn't mind it. He has his favourite book in his hand and he's on his way to see his favourite person. A lazy smile hidden beneath his mask when he spots pink within the crowd, however he doesn't approach her when he sees her speaking to someone he doesn't recognize. Kakashi is better at faces than names. He watches her bow and depart from them with a smile, then turning to walk in his direction.

"Who was that?" he asks. The corner of her eyes crinkle as she takes his hand and answers: "Just an old friend."

Kakashi takes her answer as it is until he finds himself rummaging and tearing through papers and files later that night. He's gotten two paper cuts already from flipping through books and stacks of folders. _How does she know her? How is Sakura related to her? Who is she?_

He sits in the room with papers scattered everywhere with a single folder in his hand. The photo is old but the difference isn't big. Tsunade Senju has barely aged. Yet the question remains: Who is Sakura?

 

* * *

 

    "You're here early," Sakura says from behind door. She's naked and she's still in the middle of her job he notices, a figure still asleep in her bed. Suddenly Kakashi feels terrible for barging in on her at a time like this but the folder in his hands reminds him why he's here in the first place.

"We need to talk," he demands. Waiting and wanting, he has never been this desperate.

Sakura takes a deep breath before quietly shutting the door, "Give me a minute," she promises.

 

    They stare at each other, no words are exchange. The gaze in their eyes answers it all when Kakashi holds the folder open between them. It's inevitable but she's still afraid to confront it. "I've been found out haven't I?"

He shakes his head, "I want answers. I need them, who are you? What ar- were you? Why are you here now? Why do you know a Senju? An Uchiha?"

The only thing Sakura does is close the folder and pushes it to his chest. He's never seen her look so torn before. She wraps the shawl around her frail self. He wonders if he's better off knowing. Kakashi can't take it back now.

"Meet me here in six hours."

Sakura closes the door, her heart heavy and her hands shaking.

 

* * *

 

    Kakashi rarely visits the flower shop unless it's for Sakura or to pay respect to the dead. He's also never had a reason to speak to the florist before, in fact Kakashi doesn't speak to anyone unless it's Sakura or to a bunch of gravestones.

So when the blonde pretty florists offers him a deal on a dozen roses, Kakashi is awkward because social anxiety mocks him constantly. His shoulders visibly sags with relief when Sakura's fingers interlock with his.

"Sorry, he's with me," she winks at the florists. He wants to laugh at the face the florist makes. She's positively fuming and he doesn't know if he hears wrong when the florist turns on her heel and mutters the word 'forehead' under her breath.

Kakashi follows behind Sakura and notices that she's holding a bouquet of daffodils. He also notices that she's wearing some sort of weird white robe with sunflowers decorated on them. It isn't a bad look, just a little odd.

Noticing his questioning look, Sakura throws her head back and laughs, "It's called a kimono, it's a traditional Japanese attire."

"It's lovely," is all he says.

 

* * *

 

  

    She takes a deep breath, Sakura doesn't owe anyone anything but she knows she owes him the truth. After everything he has done for her. She owes him this much.

"I...used to be a field medic. I was an active member sent to the war front as the situation became more desperate. My superior as you might have figured, Tsunade was my mentor. A very skilled doctor who was also very good with a gun. There weren't a lot of females who fought in the war since technically we weren't allowed, so I had to pass off as male for awhile. Due to Tsunade's talent and connection to the Senju's, she supported a lot of political and significant figures in power. She's partially the reason why I was sent around a lot. I was in the front-lines as both a fighter and a healer, male and female. For the most part of it all, I was a nurse. You may have also fought in the war and I know you've seen it all, but the things you and I have seen are different. You were required to kill a life, but I was required to save them. Sometimes I had to do both."

 

Sakura gripped the hem of her kimono. Fingers smoothing out the wrinkles and tracing the patterns of yellow petals. "Ten months before the war ended, I was sent back here. To where she first taught me, the beginning of my apprenticeship. She mentioned something about healing and taking a well deserved break. The thing is, I was very stubborn at the time, in war there is no time for breaks. Except, Tsunade had a very good reason to send me back. She said I was too unstable to continue and that I needed time to heal, to learn."

 

"A part of me wanted to go home. I knew that mentally I was falling apart, but another part of me didn't want to abandon the front. Anyways, I ended up staying with a close friend. She...was part of the Intelligence Corps because of her father's influence. Sh-Ino and I were in a similar situation except she had to go back home because her mother was severely sick."

 

"For a while, I helped with work at her family's flower shop where I met _him."_ Suddenly Kakashi understood why the florists often offered him discounts and seemed friendly and familiar with Sakura. He felt stupid for not realizing their connection sooner.

 

"He was standing in front of the store like he was lost. It was strange because he was wearing a dark blue yukata and I had the same reaction you gave me earlier," Sakura laughs.

 

"He told me he was looking for flowers, specifically something yellow. He couldn't remember the name of it so I tried to help him. Then starting from there I tried to approach him as much as I could, it was me being a worrywart at first because he was foreign and I wanted to help. Soon, quick chats at the supermarket turned into long conversations at dinner. We had a wedding in secret because we didn't know when the war would call us back again. He was a Japanese spy and he offered information in exchange for peace and protection for his family. We both knew our roles and yet we couldn't help ourselves, we cherished whatever we had for as long as we could."

Sakura closs her eyes. She gets up and begins to walk further down the hill and Kakashi follows.

 

* * *

 

 

    Kakashi recognizes where they are as soon as he feels his shoes scraping against rough ground and dry soil. If he wasn't at home or at Sakura's he was here, with his friends. Rows and rows of grey slate and many unmarked graves lined neatly horizontally. He stopa in front of one that was very familiar. Kakashi has walked past this gravestone many times and yet he's never bothered to check the name, this person was resting two gravestones before Obito Uchiha.

"This is Itachi Uchiha. Soldier, friend, husband and father. He died of a lung disease." Sakura's voice shook.

He recognizes the name now. Itachi Uchiha was a hero. He was young, far too young to have as many achievements as he did and the sacrifices he made. Far too young to die. Everything that Sakura had said before, the hints, the ramblings and the riddles. He understood them all.

Laying down the daffodils, he kneels down and presses his hand to the rock. "Thank you."

 

* * *

 

_6 months later_

     "Does he really have grey hair?"

Sakura lets out a chuckle, "Yes he does." She squeezes her daughter's hand tighter, Hanami was always such a curious little thing.

Confused, Hanami looks at her mother, "He must be really old then."

A loud snort rips through Naruto's throat, "Yeah Kakashi is an old man alright!" A loud smack, followed by a yelp. "He's not that old," says Sakura. The brooding figure in the corner raises an eyebrow, "He's old enough." Sasuke flinches when Sakura raises her fist. 

After that day at the cemetery, Sakura returned to the house, to her daughter. It was time to make apologies and amendments. She needed to reconnect with those important to her and she was going to start with Hanami, then Sasuke and Naruto. For the first time in forever, she doesn't feel nervous or anxious. In a bad way. She spent half a year rekindling with Hanami and she's not sure if her daughter is ready for someone new to be introduced into her life.

"He's late again!" Naruto grumbles.

"We're just early," she says. It took a while for Naruto and Sasuke to warm up to Kakashi and vice versa. They were important people in her life and they all understood that, so they tried to get along for her sake. It wasn't hard at all, a relief to Sakura.

"Yo." A peace sign raised in the air and a lazy smile underneath a dark mask. He ruffles Sasuke's and Naruto's hair, earning a very synced 'hey!' from the duo. He winks at Sakura then turns to look at the person hiding behind her. Kakashi bends down and offers a handshake.

Taken back by his boldness, Hanami hesitates to meet his large, rough hands with her tiny fingers. She steps away from her mother's pant leg and straightens her back, raises her chin and relaxes her shoulders.

"My name is Hanami and I am four years-old," loud and clear like her mother taught her.

"So I've heard. I have a box of sweets, would you like to have it?" He asks.

Large green eyes widens and suddenly Hanami is starting to like this Kakashi character. "Yes please," she says a little too excited.

"What do you say?" Sakura reminds her.

 

"Thank you."

    Sakura has never been happier than now. She has her two best friends on either arm, their bickering brings nostalgia that she knows she has missed. Her daughter laughing a little louder than normal as she rides on broad, sturdy shoulders and a man that she trusts and loves holding onto stubby short legs as he imitates cartoon voices.

The summer of 1922 is warm and it lasts forever in her heart.

 

 

         

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! All kudos and comments are appreciated!


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